Gallows View: The First Inspector Banks Mystery

by Peter Robinson

Book Overview

When Chief Inspector Alan Banks isn't catching a criminal, he's off pursuinghis latest interest: Tudor history, bird's eggs, or much to his beleaguered family's dismay,his current passion, opera.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0380714000
• ISBN13: 9780380714001
• Release Date: December 2000
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Can't Wait To Read The Rest Of This Series!!!

I really enjoyed this book! Inspector Banks is a believable and likable character, and I look forward to watching his character evolve. It's also refreshing to read stories that take place in England, as it's interesting to see a slice of life from another part of the world...although I'm told the author actually lives in Canada.You won't regret the time invested in reading this wonderful book.

High Quality Debut

This is a very high-quality debut novel by a writer whose popularity has sky-rocketed both in the UK and the US in the past couple of years. The plot is not very challenging but it's realistic and very enjoyable. It's not too hard to get your head around either of the three main plots - but each is equally engaging - and sometimes that is just what i want in a crime novel. The storylines are thus: A peeping-tom is terrorising the women of the small Yorkshire town of Eastvale. A series of burglaries are being committed, first against the elderly, but then progressing to larger, more profitable homes. Also, an elderly woman is found dead in her house on Gallows View road...but are any of the cases linked?Each plot is fascinating in it's way, especially the storyline involving the peeping tom, which i found to be a very original one to be among the main features of a novel. It becomes especially interesting when a psychologist is called in to give insight into the peepers character, and fans of the psychological aspects of crime are then presented with a different sort of criminal-psychology (other than that of the usual psychotic-killer psychology) which is refreshing and interesting. Robinsons's writing style is addictive and very good, he has a strong sense of place, and he paints his characters really well. Inspector Banks in particular, the protagonist of the series, is especially well characterised and likeable. He also writes near-perfect dialogue. I also liked the way the personal lives of the characters are weaved into the storyline more-so than in most novels, and were made an integral part of the story themselves. I hope he continues this trend in the other books...All in all, i would reccomend this book to any fan of British police procedural novels (namely Ian Rankin, R.D Wingfield, Reg Hill, P.D. James, etc). It's realistic, enjoyable, with great characters and a satisfactory plot. I am looking forward immensely to reading more of this series...

Impressive First Novel

After having read PAST REASON HATED and BLOOD AT THE ROOT it was time to start at the beginning of this wonderful series. GALLOWS VIEW is the first novel that introduces Peter Robinson's creation of Inspector Alan Banks.Women are being terrorized in the small English town of Eastvale by a peeping tom who likes to stare at women while they undress. There has also been a series of robberies affecting this small town but the police start taking notice when they find the body of Alice Matlock. The police cannot help themselves to wander if this was the work of outsiders or if the peeping tom passion has gotten to be deadly. Inspector Banks is in charge of the case and is working together with Dr. Jennifer Fuller to try to help him understand the mind of the voyeur and to see if there is possibility that he could be dangerous.This book is a police procedural that does not carry a lot of surprises or revelations. What makes this book great is how the author takes what could be considered an ordinary day in the life of a police officer and make it interesting. Inspector Banks has some personal problems and he is attracted to the doctor. He wants to yield towards temptation and he knows it would not be right. The author does a good job also in showing life in a small town by showing the townspeople and involving them in the story. He adds everything from a camera club meeting all the way towards two teens heading into a life of trouble. As a first novel, it is a very good book and helped in the understanding of Inspector Banks. There are quite a few of the author's work that follow this novel and it will be a pleasure to continue reading them in the future.

Great first novel in series

Inspector Alan Banks took a job in the small village of Eastvale after tiring of working in London but even in this picturesque village there are crimes. A Peeping Tom and a pair of burglars are bad enough but when an elderly woman is murdered in an apparent robbery attempt, Inspector Banks and his team of investigators race to find the culprits before others are killed. Inspector Banks is a likable character and the book nicely balances his home life with solving murders. This is the first book in a series that continues to improve with each novel.

Inspector Banks has a tough week.

This is a great yarn that I completed in one sitting.Our protagonist is not only a great detective but, a likable man. He is an attractive character for all the usual reasons, (i.e...intellegence,charm,loyalty,persistance,..et al.), yet it is his human flaws that allowed me to care about him and understand him.They include smoking too much, drinking to escape feelings at times, and a wandering eye for the ladies.(DON'T BASH HIM TOO HARD FOR THE LAST ONE BECAUSE IT IS ONLY HIS EYE THAT WANDERS.) So much so in fact the author must have studied psychology at length. The author's knowledge of police procedures including, forensics, stake-outs, and questioning of witnesses and suspects, is absolutely dead-on perfect. This one really kept me guessing. Kudos to Mr. Robinson for making the series of crimes and the solving thereof so realistic.